Guild Wars 2’s annual Halloween Festival will begin on October 23rd, 2015. The event is titled “The Shadow of the Mad King” and will feature two weeks of spooky fun. The launch of this event coincides with the release of the Heart of Thorns expansion, so there will be no shortage of new content this Halloween. Also make sure to check out our Halloween Event Guide.

Mad King’s Lair

Mad King’s Lair is a special Halloween dungeon that pits players against King Oswald Thorn. Expect deadly tricks and general deviousness. ArenaNet says that players who face the Mad King in his dungeon have a chance for a “rare and marvelous reward.”

Mad King’s Realm

Go trick-or-treating in the Mad King’s Labyrinth. Players will face undead armies and frightening monsters stalking around the maze. Opening haunted doors inside the Labyrinth will initiate festive events.

Mad King’s Clocktower

The Mad King’s Clocktower is a Halloween Jumping Puzzle that will have you navigating through a crumbling clocktower.

Lion’s Arch Festivities

Expect spooky decorations and activities in the newly rebuilt Lion’s Arch. Halloween attractions will be located all around the map, with candy corn vendors to purchase from. Mad King Thorn himself will return to play “Mad King Says” and tell his special brand of Halloween jokes.

Loot and Rewards

Candy corn vendors will have new items to offer. Trick-or-Treat bags have a chance to drop minis, weapons, or a karka hatchling helm. Tattered Bat Wings can be collected to build a bat-themed shoulder piece. For more info on Tattered Bat Wings, check here.

Thoughts

We’re definitely glad to see Halloween returning for 2015. We weren’t exactly sure how things were going to play out this year with Heart of Thorns launching October 23rd, but it appears that ArenaNet have pulled out all the stops. The new Halloween skins and weapons look really cool and I’m sure that the bat-wing backpiece will be popular. It will be interest to see what the “rare and marvelous” reward for completing the Mad King’s Dungeon is.